"They are getting better at younger and younger ages" - Tom Dumoulin fears youthful cycling elite may burn-out early
Cycling
In the last few years, there has been a marked switch in the peloton's leadership with younger riders coming through and proving themselves amongst the elite. Former Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin however, has fears about the longevity of the new generation.
“You see that they are getting better at younger and younger ages," explains the now-retired Dumoulin in conversation with Wielerflits. "From the age of 15 or 16, these boys often receive the same guidance as the pros. It has become so calculated and structured in terms of training and nutrition. That knowledge was not available when I was sixteen. I didn't know how Michael Boogerd trained, but now every sixteen-year-old can watch Strava and copy what the pros do.”
As mentioned though, Dumoulin also has concerns about the way cycling is going. “I wonder if that will burn them out," he says. "It would certainly burn me out, but they are different character types. I'm a bit of a free bird, an enthusiast. I enjoyed the adventure and the training, but not when the minute and wattage was specified. Another character type, like Remco Evenepoel, thinks that is fantastic. He also says: just write to me what I have to do and what I have to eat. Jonas Vingegaard also does exactly what the trainer says and he loves it, it benefits him. The younger generation is really raised with this and they find it normal.”
With these kinds of developments, Dumoulin is somewhat relieved he retired when he did. "That just doesn't fit with who I am and want to be,” he explains. “I think that especially for the older riders who are used to their own thing, they will be a little quicker to say: I'm good actually.”
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Ever seen any cyclist age over 40's anyway? Have not seen any atheletes age over 40's outside those rarebreeds like Federer, and [Serena and Venus] Williams, he retired late 2023. At the Laver Cup. He was 42. Serena also retired late 2023. This time she did so, at The Flashing Meadows, New York City. Maybe they racing alot during their primes, (no pun intended) which increase the rate of burn out and injuries, which is factoring why the sport has lower retirement ages than other sports, like tennis or something?
We’ll have to wait and see, like for a lot of other things this generation still needs to go through. Retirement ages and averages don’t seem to be changing yet even though making space for all the youngsters by definition means replacing all the others but there were quite of few guys who’s time had come in the past few years Van Avermaet Gilbert Valverde Nibali Porte Van Emden Rojas Sanchez Geschke Uran Gesink And probably a few more over the age of 36/37
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- They are surprisingly rare on the pro circuit, around our area, one in four races finishes of with a really steep 500m climb at the end.Mistermaumau14-03-2025
- Give him an uphill sprint, then he may win against pure sprinters.
KerisVroom14-03-2025 - Sad if confirmed but like Tadej, he’ll be happy it didn’t turn out to be a disaster. Curious to know how it happened uphill.Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- Jonas anandons tomorrow. He was saying farewell to teammates and staff at the finish lineCaralladas13-03-2025
- And considering the details coming out, I’d like to hear from all those mocking his annoyance of having to ride in yesterday’s weather, don’t think they’d have ridden to the end that way with a probable broken hand. Also, he was only one of a very large number equally critical that NOBODY criticised, including Jorgenson, Sheffield and the peleton spokesman. O’connor was probably the most upset by it all but doesn’t seem to have spoken about it?Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- I was wondering what really happened, if he was just not yet peaking at this time of the year, or if this just wasn't going to be his year, but apparently the accident affected him.Ride197413-03-2025
- There is good in everyone. Hitler was kind to his dog wasn't he?Cyclingsbestfan13-03-2025
- We all hope it, like parents, but those type of children only learn from their own mistakes ;-) Yeah, feel lucky I heal pretty fast, even at advanced age but we don’t really get to see how things look under their clothes. For sure they have better pain killers but I don’t ever remember feeling much pain when in a state to ride on, the adrenaline seems to just focus on that one objective. Later is another thing, I once (only time ever) fainted in the shower an hour post accident when trying to clean a wound, luckily another rider who’d witnessed it had sacrificed himself not to leave my side.Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- Yep. But if you hit something stationary at 40 mph, your life is changed. And even just sliding ... the fastest I ever crashed was 35 mph in a race, and it was almost 2 months before the last scabs disappeared. These guys heal much faster, but the pain is the same. I am hoping P is more careful so that he has a long career that ends when he decides. But he doesn't seem built that way.
Barney13-03-2025 - He’s lucky Mohoriç warned him not to follow (and that for once he listened to wiser) because the way M only just avoided disaster that day, T would have done a Senna. Regarding the 40mph, it’s not usually hitting the deck that’s crucial, it’s acrobatics and stationary objects that refuse to move much that do the damage.Mistermaumau13-03-2025